Lake Cowichan’s Lyndsey Gavin one of final two on ‘The Bachelor’

Lyndsey Gavin, originally from Lake Cowichan, seemed surprised that she was one of just two women left who were given roses by Chris Leroux, the bachelor, last week.

Lyndsey, 23, a publicist currently living in Vancouver, is a contestant on this season of the hit reality-TV series, The Bachelor Canada.

There were originally 20 bachelorettes vying for Leroux’s attention and affection at the beginning of the season, but just two are left after Leroux visited the hometowns and families of the the last three contestants, in an episode that aired last week.

Leroux, a retired professional baseball player who is from Toronto, indicated that he was excited to visit Vancouver Island and Lyndsey’s family and said at the beginning of the visit that he had hoped to receive a blessing from her father before he decides if he wants to take the relationship to the next step.

The couple’s visit with Lyndsey’s Grandpa D in Duncan went well, and Grandpa D, who was married for 57 years, said they “made a good team” and gave the couple advice on what makes good relationships.

“You’ll have hard times sometimes, but take life as it is and make the best of it,” he told them.

Leroux responded that he can “truly see myself with Lyndsey forever” after meeting her grandfather.

But the visit to meet Gavin’s parents and sisters in Lake Cowichan didn’t go so well.

Lyndsey’s sisters, Kelsey and Katryna, were skeptical of the couple’s chances, noting that the 10-year age gap between them might be difficult to overcome.

They also took exception to the fact that Leroux had very little experience in camping and hiking, activities the sisters and Lyndsey grew up doing in the Cowichan Valley, and Leroux’s statements that he has no plans to move to the West Coast.

“They were grilling me pretty hard,” Leroux said of Kelsey and Katryna.

“I get that they’re skeptical, but Lyndsey is special to me. I didn’t know I would be walking into a firestorm when I came here.”

The one-on-one conversation with Lyndsey’s dad Rod was also very awkward for Leroux.

When Leroux told Rod he loved Lyndsey, Rod told him not to use the “love” word so lightly.

“You don’t know her well enough to use the word love yet,” he said.

“This is not real love; real love has to grow. I think this is a weird concept you’re playing at but at least I know your face now in case I have to hunt you down like a mule if necessary.”

Skepticism was also overflowing in a personal conversation between Lyndsey and her mom during the visit.

Like the sisters, her mom also expressed deep reservations about the age gap between the two, and the fact that Leroux is ready to settle down while Lyndsey is too young for marriage.

“You have tons of time ahead of you,” she told Lyndsey.

“You are young and need time to travel and do other things. This is not what I was expecting, but we’ll stand by you like always, no matter what you decide to do.”

As he reflected on the visit with Lyndsey’s family, Leroux said he was very excited at the beginning.

“But now I feel confused and I’m questioning my relationship with Lyndsey,” he said.

“Family is important so if they won’t welcome me, we’ll go our separate ways.”

Later in the show, just before the remaining three bachelorettes met with Leroux to determine who wouldn’t receive a rose, Lyndsey acknowledged that Leroux’s visit with her family didn’t go well.

“My family didn’t give him a chance,” she said.

“I love him so much and I don’t want to say goodbye to him, but there are so many things going against us.”

But, much to her apparent relief, she did receive one of the two final roses from Leroux, keeping her in the competition.

Toronto’s Catie Fenn was left without a rose, and tearfully left the stage.

This week, the last two remaining bachelorettes, the other being Winnipeg’s Mikaela Wightman, and Leroux will travel to Mexico, where it’s expected Leroux will make his final choice.